Poverty in England

If you are born into poverty you are a lot more likely to stay and live in poverty and to die younger.

People living in the poorest areas of England are likely to die 26 years earlier than those living in the richest areas. Injustice and inequality are rife in our society.

Those in poverty have a greater proportion of their lives with a disability and are two or three times more likely to have a mental illness. 

There is a complex web of poverty that traps people, which it is hard to escape.

Jesus said: "I tell you the truth: whatever you did for one of these of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

"Poverty isn't something that just happens in far away places - it's a fact of too many people's lives on our own doorsteps. The church urban Fund challenges that poverty, tackles injustice and helps people who have been marginalised to reclaim their dignity through the projects it supports and the partnership it offers. This is an immensely valuable task and one which i am delighted to support." Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, May 2011.

"In these stretching times it will be vital for the Church to stand alongside those who are suffering most and the Church Urban Fund, with its long experience of working at local level, is well placed to inspire and equip the churches to respond to the pressing needs around us. I shall be glad to do what I can to support and promote this vision. " Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, September 2011.